Here I am again, with another installment of “Is it Worth the Hype” to let you know if you should spend the time on that book that everyone is talking about or if BookTok is delulu and you should move on to something else on your to-read list. Every book has its readers, but it can be disappointing when a popular book doesn’t hit you the same way it does for everyone else. You can share your hot takes and ALL your feels with us by filling out our Teen Book Reviews form. Who knows, we may feature your review in an upcoming blog!
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
What It’s About: When Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it’s to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But when she gets her vengeance, it becomes clear that she is an Iron Widow, a rare kind of female pilot who can sacrifice males to power up Chrysalises instead. She decides to leverage her strength to force her society to stop failing its women and girls. Or die trying.
Worth the Hype: Absolutely. My love for Pacific Rim and huge mechs is undying and this taps into that and blends it with Chinese myth and history. There’s exciting action scenes, queer representation and female rage.
Be Aware: It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger and the second book, Heavenly Tyrant, comes out in April and I am first on the holds list.
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
What It’s About: Teens Rufus Emeterio and Mateo Torrez receive midnight phone calls from Death-Cast, a service that notifies those with less than 24 hours to live. Neither has close family, so they connect via the Last Friend app and decide to spend their final hours together. Over the course of an eventful day, they speak honestly about their fate, their anger, and what it means to be alive, until their budding friendship organically turns into something more.
Worth the Hype: I am all about acknowledging death and its inevitability, so I love this premise. It rises above the “doomed teen love” trope and doesn’t cheapen the experiences Rufus and Mateo have. You know how it’s all going to end, and it is still heartbreaking.
Be Aware: There’s a prequel, The First to Die at the End.
The Serpent & the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
What It’s About: As the adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Oraya carved her place in a world designed to kill her. She enters the Kejari: a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself. To win is to be granted a wish, a way to gain power, and be something other than prey. To survive against the most vicious warriors from all three vampire houses, Oraya is forced to make an alliance with a mysterious rival. War for the House of Night brews, shattering everything that Oraya thought she knew about her home.
Worth the Hype: Not really. It’s fine. The premise of ‘vampire Hunger Games’ was fun and I actually enjoyed the first half with the trials. Human Oraya is definitely outmatched by all the vampire competition and I appreciated the ways she evened the odds. Allying with the tall, dark and brooding vampire Raihn is exactly the predictable trope you see coming a mile away. And then the pacing got bogged down and boring with too many feelings and not enough action. The political intrigue is not intriguing and the end resulted in the death of the most interesting character in the whole book. And it’s too long.
Be Aware: This book has teen appeal, but it is an adult book with adult themes. There is a sequel, The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King, which I will not be reading.
